Tag: acupuncture fort lauderdale

Finally some common sense! The American College of physicians have published a new low back pain treatment guideline that includes acupuncture and spinal manipulation (among other therapies) to help patients with low back pain. In addition, they frown upon using narcotic type medications for this condition.

The article goes on to say:

“Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for all physician visits in the U.S. Most Americans have experienced low back pain. Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one day in the past three months. Pain is categorized as acute (lasting less than four weeks), subacute (lasting four to 12 weeks, and chronic (lasting more than 12 weeks).” For the entire article please click here.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are relatively ineffective for treating back pain, a new study suggests.

‘Researchers from the George Institute for Global Health, in Australia, analyzed data from 35 randomized, placebo-controlled trials to determine the efficacy and safety of NSAIDs for spinal pain. The trials included more than 6,000 patients, and researchers found that only one in six patients treated with NSAIDs experienced significant pain reduction.

“Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is commonly managed by prescribing medicines such as anti-inflammatories. But our results show anti-inflammatory drugs actually only provide very limited short-term pain relief,” Manuela Ferreira, PhD, lead researcher and senior research fellow at the George Institute and the Institute of Bone and Joint Research, said in a press release. “They do reduce the level of pain, but only very slightly, and arguably not of any clinical significance.”

This study builds on previous work conducted by the George Institute exploring the effectiveness of existing medicines for treating back pain. Prior research has suggested that acetaminophen provides little benefit over placebo for patients with low back pain (Lancet 2014;384:1586-1596).

The researchers also found that patients taking NSAIDs were 2.5 times more likely to have gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ulcers and bleeding. These side effects of NSAIDs reinforce the need to find better pain relief alternatives, according to the researchers.

“Millions of Australians are taking drugs that not only don’t work well, they’re causing harm,” Gustavo Machado, study author and research fellow at the institution, said in a press release. “We need treatments that actually provide substantial relief of these people’s symptoms.”

The findings were published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases on Feb. 2 (Epub ahead of print).’

Comment from Dr. Denny: It is unfortunate that so many people suffer from chronic back pain, while so many safe effective treatments such as acupuncture and laser therapy offer great relief for many patients with back pain. GI upset and potential bleeding is a common reason for patients to present to local emergency rooms.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an increasingly common cardiac rhythm disturbance that can lead to stroke and congestive heart failure. It can be facilitated by inflammation and oxidative stress, and approximately 30% of patients undergoing cardiac procedures suffer from post-operative AF.

According to a study published two days ago in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, researchers in Finland conducted a systematic review of vitamin C for preventing AF in high risk patients. They analyzed 14 randomized control trials consisting of 2006 patients who had cardiac surgery, along with one study involving 44 patients where the recurrence of AF after a successful cardioversion was investigated.

Interestingly, the five studies in the US found no effect of vitamin C against post-operative AF. On the other hand, the nine studies performed outside of the US found a mean reduction of 44%, while a study in Greece found that vitamin C decreased the risk of AF recurrence by 87%. In addition, in the non-US studies, vitamin C reduced hospital stay length by 12.6% and intensive care unit stay by 8%.

It is important to note that some of the surgery patients in the non-US studies were administered oral vitamin C, whereas some were given intravenous vitamin C.

As a result, oral vitamin C at 1-2 grams per day decreased post-operative AF by 73% and shortened the length of hospital stay by only 7%. Intravenous vitamin C only decreased AF by 36% but shortened the length of hospital stay by 16%. In conclusion, intravenous vitamin C administration had a greater effect on reducing the hospital stay but was less effective for reducing the occurrence of post-operative AF.

Acupuncture has been used for centuries to treat chronic pain conditions. It has also been used to treat anxiety and depression with great success. It is not surprising that acupuncture shines in clinical trials as an additional tool to help patients with pain and depression. For more information about acupuncture and integrative pain management, please contact the acupuncture and integrative medicine practice of Dr. Scott Denny with practice locations in Davie, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton, Florida. Please also visit www.dennyhealth.com to complete your complimentary health analysis and receive a copy of Dr. Denny’s free eBook.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health say that nearly 40 percent of adults have used some type therapy that isn’t taught in medical schools. But more than 40 U.S. universities, including Stanford, UCLA, Duke and The George Washington University have integrative medicine centers.

With more Americans turning to alternatives, the U.S. government founded The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as part of the National Institutes of Health.

“Our job here at the National Institutes of Health is to bring really good science to these really interesting practices,” says Dr. Josephine Briggs, the center’s director.

Practices that are considered outside mainstream medicine, like the use of dietary supplements, meditation and yoga, as well as chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, reiki – or therapeutic touch – and massage. A survey by the NIH in 2007 indicated four in 10 Americans use one of these practices, most often to treat pain.

If nearly half the population uses so called alternative medicine, when will it be referred to as “conventional? ”

Dr. D.

Would you like more information on complementary and integrative therapies? Contact our award winning practice today at 888-840-4325.

Millions of people suffer from chronic or acute health concerns. While some are silent sufferers, others may book an appointment with their general practitioner, but more and more people are seeking relief by following some form of complementary and alternative medicine, such as homeopathy.

“Homeopathy is based on the understanding that body, mind and spirit work together in harmony when the vital force is in a state of homeostasis,” explained Dr. Vatsala Sperling, founder of Rochester Homeopathy. “When the vital force is out of tune, a whole range of physical, mental and emotional symptoms appear; collectively, these are called diseases. Homeopathy works to restore homeostasis of the vital force. The result is a deeply felt, truly holistic sense of wellness at the level of mind, body and spirit.”

Sperling grew up in India using homeopathy. She earned a doctorate degree in clinical microbiology and was awarded a Gold Medal by the president of India for her scholastic accomplishments. She was invited to join the staff of The Childs Trust Hospital in Chennai, India, as the chief of Clinical Microbiology Services, a position she held until her marriage and subsequent move to the United States in 1996.

With deep personal interest in holistic health, Sperling decided to circle back to her roots in homeopathy. She graduated from The School of Homeopathy in Devon, U.K., and founded Rochester Homeopathy last year. People from different age groups and diverse backgrounds come to her seeking help.

“In classical homeopathy, no detail is unimportant,” said Sperling, “and so, during consultation, clients are asked about every aspect of their life: health, habits, profession, hobbies, dreams and sleep, food preferences, body functions, familial and social relationships and such. These details figure into the selection of a remedy that would help restore homeostasis to the vital force. The result is a deeply felt sense of wellness.”

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children suffering from health concerns spend $33.9 billion annually and use some form of CAM. Homeopathy, according to the National Institute of Health, attracts people with a wide range of health concerns from wellness and prevention, to the treatment of diseases such as allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, digestive disorders, ear infections, headaches and skin rashes.

Homeopathy was introduced in late 1700s by Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor. Although acute and chronic health issues can be addressed, the practice does not restrict itself to treating specific body parts or diseases labels. Instead, the whole self is the focus, with creating a healthy being—inside and out—as the emphasis.

Only after obtaining a thorough understanding of individuals’ symptoms, Sperling can recommend a remedy. “Homeopathic healing is brought about by administering a small dose of a remedy that matches the symptoms,” she said. “This remedy gently encourages the vital force to regain its normal, healthy state so that it can support good health. Following a protocol laid out by Dr. Hahnemann, remedies are made from natural substances, dissolved in water or alcohol, and taken by mouth. This system of healing is noninvasive and does not rely on expensive tests and diagnostics.

“Homeopathy is about finding the image of us in nature and matching it with a remedy,” Sperling concluded. “So anyone can benefit from this natural and complementary system of healing.”

Besides homeopathy, Sperling is a prolific writer who has published numerous research papers in clinical microbiology, several articles on homeopathy, seven children’s books based on mythology from India and co-authored the forthcoming book, “For Seven Lifetimes: An East–West Journey to a Spiritually Fulfilling and Sustainable Marriage”, with her husband, Ehud Sperling. The book, due in bookstores in February 2011, tells the story of their yearlong courtship across continents and cultures, and the success of their 15-yearlong marriage based on shared values and spiritual growth.

In a new study, just published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, was conducted by a research team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. They investigated 35,016 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 76 with no history of breast cancer who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle cohort study (dubbed VITAL, short). The woman was asked to complete a 24 page questionnaire about their use of supplements other than vitamins and/or minerals.

After six years of follow-up, 880 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer. However, those women who reported regularly taking fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, were found to have a 32 percent reduced risk of invasive ductal breast cancer — the most common type of breast cancer. The use of other specialty supplements, such as the herbs black cohosh and dong quai which are often taken by women to relieve symptoms of menopause, was not associated with raising or lowering breast cancer risk.